I don’t generally consider myself to be much of a racing fan. Sure, I’ll watch racing, whether it be NASCAR, Indy Car or Formula One, and I root for Dale Earnhardt Jr., but I don’t really watch it with the passion that some others have for it.
That being said, I’ve always wanted to make it out to Texas Motor Speedway to catch some of the action at what some believe is the best track on the NASCAR schedule, but have never been able to come up with time.
Last Thursday, we, as a family, made time to make the drive to southern Denton county to meet some family and watch the Camping World Trucks Series practice and a Legend Cars race at the complex.
And what an experience that was.
First off, we came totally unprepared, as my ears can attest. Being the newbies we are, we forgot earplugs, which should be a must-bring item. We eventually got used to the noise, but it can get unpleasant hearing the roar of those engines without something to soften the noise.
But that aside, it was pretty amazing. Television doesn’t do the tracks or the cars justice on screen. Texas Motor Speedway is an expansive place, with a track distance on 1.5 miles, and those trucks, with less horsepower than the Sprint Cup and Indy Cars, get around that place really quick.
I wish we could have made it out there for the race, but even in practice it’s interesting to see the strategies of different teams and the different lines drivers are using to get around the place.
Once that practice finished up, we made the short trek over to the fifth-mile track beyond the backstretch to watch smaller cars race. We arrived for the finish of race that had kids way younger than me in it (which makes me feel old), although with only four cars in it and a leader that was heads and shoulders above the other three, it was an anticlimactic finish.
But then came the Legend Cars and that was a sight to behold. No they don’t go nearly as fast as the top racing series, but there’s some good old racing going on, and as the video below can attest, it can actually be a lot of fun. Once the race got into a long green flag run, it was essentially a beehive of noise and of course, the occasional wreck made for entertainment. The announcer’s antics were just the cherry on top of it all. And everyone was fine, even the guy that flipped.
So in the end, my first live racing experience was a great one. In fact, I was disappointed when my dad and brother went back out there the following afternoon and I had to stay home to work. Still, I can’t imagine that will be the last time I’m out there this summer. It’s too much fun for such a little price to pass up.